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I was saving the pigeon for last—such a common bird, yet so intriguing. And indeed, the Rock Pigeon was my finale on April 1st, Day 92 of the Bird-A-Day Challenge, a game played every year by birders from around the country who are trying to see and count one “new” bird each day. There are dozens of participants still going and it’s possible that at least one of them, if not more, will make it the whole year long. These dedicated birders are ticking through the days by seeking the most challenging birds to tally, and saving the most common birds to use when they can’t find anything else.

As for my list, I stretched as far as I could with a full-time job and a small child to care for. When the birds that visited my area in winter departed in March and the spring migrants hadn’t yet arrived, the going got tough. I started counting more of the common birds. And as the spring migrants arrived, it became increasingly challenging to identify some of the newbies, especially those tiny warblers flitting through the treetops. What’s more, most of the new arrivals are truly difficult to spot on the go. Weekend walks with a much more serious birder in my household helped push the list a little further. As I’ve said before, the time spent outside—even on uncomfortably cold days—was priceless. This week’s birds are largely familiar to most people, so here’s some fun trivia to share among friends:

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Count the dees in a Black-capped Chickadee’s (Day 83) chickadee-dee-dee call and you will know how threatened it is.
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Another name for a Merlin (Day 84).
Black Hawk
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290 feet. How high a baby Wood Duck (Day 85) can jump from its nest to the water below without injury.
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What you call a group of American Crows (Day 86).
A Murder.
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The amount of poop one Canada Goose (Day 87) can produce?
1.5 pounds per day—548 pounds per year—by some estimates.
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The common ancestor of all but one type of domestic duck.
Mallard (Day 88)
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A bird that tosses soil and dust on its feathers, as if it were washing with water.
House Sparrow (Day 89)
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Mozart kept one as a pet.
European Starling (Day 90)
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Gives itself away with a tail wag, and it lives farther north than most other warblers.
The Palm Warbler (Day 91)
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The name for the feathers on a Rock Pigeon’s (Day 92) legs and feet.
Stockings.
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